The Battle Is Won Here!

My journey has given me the opportunity to meet so many amazing people. I was working out one morning before work and on the way out of the gym I struck up a conversation with another guy who’s name I later found out was Antonio. I remember one of the first things he said to me – “ I don’t mean to be rude or anything,  but how much weight have you lost?”  I laughed and said “Not rude at all my man.” We talked for a few more minutes and exchanged contact info, I shared my blog and he took a look. We started texting back and forth about various health topics before I was able to convince him to come into FNS for a workout. We spent the last week busting our butts in the gym together and I have to say Antonio is one STRONG dude. He didn’t shy away from any challenge and it was awesome to see him push himself past what he thought were his limits. One thing we both talked about most that tends to be a popular topic with weight loss was food.

Antonio felt lost. He has played the game of boiled chicken and broccoli and seen success but it was only temporary. He grew up in a house where food was never on shortage and love and affection were shown with delicious, high calorie foods that are not all that great for you. Every family affair was built around food and in many cases it is considered rude to turn it down. This culture is extremely common and one that was all too similar to my upbringing. As our conversations became more in depth he shared some personal goals with me that I agreed to help him work on. I explained that the only way we are going to accomplish that is with balanced, long term, sustainable eating habits.  We started by having Antonio journal what he was eating for four days without any guidance from me. I wanted him to go through his normal routine and be honest with portion control and everything he ate and drank so we could sit down and review it together. After the four days were up we met again to review his food journal and choices he made. We talked a lot about alternative options to what he had eaten and I committed to having him over for a “shopping lesson” and some simple cooking ideas.

Tonight was that night – we hit the grocery store and reviewed food labels and talked even more about choices. We started in my favorite place the fresh produce section. I said to him “here is where we go nuts, if you see it and think you might like, let’s get it!” He was unsure how to prepare many of the veggies that we purchased but that’s where my better half, Meghan came in. She was there for questions and ideas the same as I was. I am proud to say that we spent over an hour in the grocery store; it was a learning lesson for both Antonio and I. I sometimes forget how many options there are out there, so many different ways to spice up food and make dishes that are healthy and delicious. We rang up all our items and headed home to the kitchen where we whipped up some of my favorite items that I like to have prepped in the fridge at all times. It was a wonderful experience and I cannot thank my wife Meghan enough for all the help! I know Antonio is on the right path to success!

Until Next Time –

Mario